


as long as you're still burning bright

by fallingjaegers



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: (but not extensive), (part of it), 5 Things, 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Edling Week, Edling Week 2019, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Canon, Swearing, rated T for kissing and foul language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-04-24 12:38:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19173457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingjaegers/pseuds/fallingjaegers
Summary: “Ling?”“Yeah?”“Shut up and kiss me.”Or: Five times Ed tells Ling to shut up and one time he doesn't.HappyEdling Week!





	as long as you're still burning bright

_I may never sleep tonight_

_As long as you’re still burning bright_

—[ Trade Mistakes ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWutvUNc-f8)

 

**1.**

On the train leaving Resembool, Ed sits arms crossed over his chest, fuming about Ling’s _little comment_ on making Winry his wife. It’s not that he’s jealous, it’s just that, well. She’s practically family at this point. He can’t imagine her moving away to a different country, much less with some cheeky kid they just met.

Winry gets up to use the bathroom, and Ed decides to tell Ling exactly what he thinks.

“Hey asshole, you can't marry Winry,” he hisses, leaning forward.

Ling grins. “Hm? Why's that?”

“Because she's my best friend and you can't take her away to Xing!” he nearly yells, earning a handful of angry shushes from the other passengers, to whom Al offers apologetic smiles.

“Oh? Are you offering up yourself then?” Ling muses, deep in thought. “I guess I can’t complain…”

Ed splutters, cheeks quickly staining red. “What! No!”

“That’s high praise, brother!” Al laughs, elbowing his arm.

“No it’s _not!”_

“Oh, I see,” Ling says, coming to a realization. “You're still bitter because I'm taller than you.”

“Shut up, dickhead!!!” Ed roars, barely managing to dodge another sword from Lan Fan seconds later. Ling just smiles, all smug and conniving, and Ed wants to wipe it off his face.

When Winry returns to her seat, she’s heard enough of the ruckus that she scolds Ed for five straight minutes. It’s a wonder they don’t all get kicked off the train.

 

**2.**

Ed’s _exhausted_. He doesn’t know where the hell he is, or why, but he’s sure as hell going to get out. Eventually. Wading through all that blood made him feel like he got punched by Alex Louis fuckin’ Armstrong. He begrudgingly thinks that being stuck here with Ling, of all people, makes it suck a _little_ less. Too tired to move, the two of them are lying on the marble ruins near the fire they made, staring into the pit of darkness above.

“Thanks for the...boot soup. I’ll never forget your noble sacrifice,” Ling mumbles after minutes of dead silence.

Ed snorts. “Just write me into Xing history when you get back and I’ll call it even.” He’d ask for a whole new boot too, but frankly, he doesn’t trust Ling to procure one that doesn’t suck.

“You got it,” Ling agrees. He pauses, and Ed looks over at Ling to see worry lining his face.

_“If_ I get back,” Ling corrects. “What if we never make it out of here?”

Ed bristles at the question and sits up. “We’ll make it out, idiot prince.”

“What if we die before then?”

“If you die, I’ll fucking kill you,” he seethes.

“Aww, you really _do_ care!” Ling teases, joining Ed in sitting.

Feeling his face heat up, Ed goes to punch Ling. _“Shut up??”_ he yells.

Unfortunately, Ling blocks his punches with ease. Damn him.

 

**3.**

Ed’s sitting by the river for some _peace_ and _quiet_. Between living with Darius, Heinkel, and, oh yeah, the Literal Embodiment of Greed Trapped in Ling’s Body, he doesn’t get a lot of it.

It’s been a week since Ling—the real Ling, not that asshole Greed—passed out on their doorstep, battered and famished. Ed hasn’t stopped thinking about it. Ling’s in there. He’s really in there. If Ed could just...get him out, he thinks he’d be okay.

Behind him, he hears grass crunching beneath feet and looks up to see—

“Ling?”

“Guess again.”

“Oh,” Ed mutters, turning back around. “It’s just you.” Curse his wishful thinking.

“What’re you sulking around here for? Another one of your brooding sessions?” Greed quips, sitting down next to Ed.

“None of your damn business, Greed,” Ed says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Greed groans. “Ugh. Teenagers.”

“If you hate teenagers so much, why’re you sitting next to one?”

“Your prince wanted to talk to you.”

Ed frowns. “He’s not my—”

“Ed. Hey.” Ed looks up and it’s _Ling_.

“Ling? Are you _okay?”_ Ed asks, concern shadowing his face.

“I’m fine. I just...wanted to see you, that’s all,” he admits, scratching his neck.

Ed relaxes and smiles. “Heh. Idiot.”

Ling is smiling but he looks _tired_. His shoulders slump forward just a little, so different from his usual, and _annoying,_ princely stature. Ed can see exhaustion lacing Ling’s face, which looks different from when Greed wears it. It’s softer now, more familiar.

Ed feels his stomach inexplicably flipping out and ignores it in favor of saying, “You look like shit.”

_“Me?”_ Ling gasps, hand to his chest in mock hurt. “As a Xingese prince, I could _never_ look like shit!”

Ed’s eyes widen in surprise that Ling still has the energy to crack jokes, but he finds himself snickering nonetheless.

“When I become emperor, I’ll sentence you to life in prison for such insolence!” Ling vows.

“Ha! You wouldn’t,” Ed counters.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t. I like you too much,” Ling says softly.

Ed stares into Ling’s warm brown eyes like a deer in the headlights of a car. Fuck. He’s fucked.

“Shut _up!”_ he squawks, ears turning red.

But Ling’s still _looking_ at him, open and earnest. Ed doesn’t know what to make of it.

 

**4.**

With the threat of the Promised Day looming larger and larger, Ed feels on edge tonight.

“It’s so soon,” he murmurs to Ling, who demanded that Greed let him out.

They’re sitting on the floor, backs leaning against the wall and shoulders brushed up against each other. In the flickering light of the oil lamp beside them, Ed briefly thinks that Ling looks kind of beautiful right now.

“Yeah. We might not see each other for a while. I think Greed’s planning something—Ugh.” Ling pinches his brow. “He didn’t want you to know that.”

Ed lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But once this is all over, I’d better see you in one piece,” he says, turning to jab a finger at Ling’s chest.

“The same goes for you. Promise you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Says you.”

Ling gives Ed a pointed look.

Ed sighs. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Nothing stupid,” he relents.

Moments pass, and Ling looks at Ed with that _soft_ expression of his again, and—

“Ed.”

“What?”

“Um,” Ling says, sounding a little strained, which is unusual for him. “Can I kiss you?”

_“What?”_ Ed screeches, face turning as red as his coat.

“I, uh, care about you, Ed,” Ling starts. “I think you’re really smart, and brave, and selfless—maybe too selfless—and I hate the thought of never seeing you again, so I wanted to tell you now, in case something—”

“Ling?” Ed interrupts, giving him a long-suffering look.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Ling does, eagerly.

 

**5.**

Ed’s standing outside the gates of Central, feeling on top of the world after defeating the Homunculus shitbag and finally getting Al’s body back. He still hasn’t had time to process all the _fuckery_ that went down, but right now he has other things to take care of.

He spots Ling bickering with Mei Chang and waves him over.

“Ling,” he says. “Thanks for your help. And for offering up your philosopher’s stone to save Al.”

Ling smiles ruefully. “How could I not? You’re important to me, Ed.”

Ed grins fondly. “Idiot,” he says, punching Ling’s arm.

“But I’m _your_ idiot,” Ling protests, smiling.

“Ugh... You’re so sappy.”

“You _like_ that I’m sappy.”

Ed smirks. “Ha. Whatever you say.” He pauses. “I know you have to leave soon, but...promise to keep in touch?”

“I’ll write you every month and you’ll get sick of hearing from me,” Ling points out.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ed says, and he means it.

“And I’ll beg you to visit Xing.”

Ed doesn’t think that idea is half bad. “Only if you build a railroad across that damn desert.”

“Consider it done,” Ling pledges.

Ed grins at how easy Ling makes it sound. “Wouldn’t want the famed Fullmetal Alchemist to shrivel up—” _Oh. Right._ “Jeez, I forgot...I’m not an alchemist anymore,” he mutters, looking away.

Ling winces. “You’ll be okay, though. I know it,” he says confidently, placing a comforting hand on Ed’s shoulder.

Ed lets out a shaky laugh and lays his hand on top of Ling’s. “Thanks. And Ling?”

“Yeah?”

“When you get back to Xing. Don’t get killed, okay?”

Ling looks at Ed with something akin to fondness. “And you call _me_ the sappy one?

“Shut up! You _are!”_ Ed pouts.

“Kidding, I am! And I promise I won’t get killed.”

Ed says jokingly, “You wanna pinky swear on that?”

“How about a kiss instead?”

_“Sappy.”_

Ed lets Ling hold his face in his hand, and they kiss. It’s sweet. Ed hates that it feels like goodbye.

When they part, it’s all too soon.

 

**+1**

It’s a bright Saturday morning in Xing. Sunlight spills through the window onto the emperor’s bed, where Ed sits reading a book, head resting in Ling’s lap. Ling idly runs his fingers through Ed’s hair, golden strands spilling over his robes.

“You know, in Xing, someone with golden eyes and golden hair is considered the perfect being,” Ling comments, twisting a lock of hair around his finger.

Ed looks up from his book. “Oh, so I’m just your trophy boyfriend, huh?” he asks, lips curling into a smile.

“No, but you _are_ my _boyfriend!”_ Ling replies happily. “I’m so lucky to have you, Ed.”

Ed’s face goes red. “Ling!” he whines, sitting upright.

“I am!” Ling insists. “You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. And did I mention, according to Xingese scholars and the _emperor himself,_ that you’re the perfect being?”

Ed fights the urge to deck him. “And you’re an idiot.”

“But you _looove_ me.”

“Yeah. I do,” Ed decides.

And for a rare moment, Ling’s face flushes red at Ed’s words. He looks at Ed in awe, and Ed doesn't look away. Ling smiles.

“I love you, too. Who knew we’d ever turn out this way?” he muses fondly.

Wondering how he and Ling even ended up like this—happy, and in love—makes Ed’s head hurt, so he doesn’t bother. Of all the shit that’s happened in his life, he thinks this is definitely one of the better things. That right now, there’s nowhere he’d rather be, and no one he’d rather be with.

 

They kiss, lazy and slow.

 

It’s perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thanks so much for reading this!! i haven't finished a fic since middle school (shudders) so i was kinda nervous to post this! i adore 5+1 fics, so i wanted to try writing one. i've only shown a bit of what I think their conversations would be like, but i think they'd talk about a Lot more than what they talk about here (ie: friends, family, life, dreams, fears, sad shit).
> 
> i want to clarify that i don't think ed sees his relationship with ling as the end-all-be-all and permanently moves to xing. i imagine he'd find a (healthy) way to be with ling while also living with al, winry, pinako, etc (read Rydia (ungarmax)'s "[nothing gold](https://archiveofourown.org/works/286290)" if you want to read about that and get really sad and cry a lot). 
> 
> also, greed totally pushes (read: teases him 24/7) ling to confess (or else ed and ling would both be blundering around like the idiots they are).
> 
> —
> 
> find me on tumblr at [fumikawge](https://fumikawge.tumblr.com/)! and here's my [edling playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xdGz1ineUTe7pFt2j7wh7?si=D6f_NVuRSea3okEKWHDJjg) if you wanna give it a listen!


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